The present invention relates generally to an artificial campfire apparatus. More particularly, it pertains to light ceramic gas logs, having a tapered burner unit, connected to a container base to create a realistic, self-contained, and portable artificial campfire.
Camping is an activity enjoyed by roughly fifty million Americans every year. A traditional part of the camping experience is the campfire. For some campers the campfire provides a means for cooking food. However, with the availability of small cooking devices that can be easily carried in a backpack, as well as the availability of grills at campgrounds, there is less need for a campfire as a means to cook food. Therefore, many of the campers who continue to start campfires do so primarily to enjoy the light and warmth that a campfire provides. Unfortunately, with a large number of campers in the United States and unpredictable weather conditions, the outdoor wood campfire is sometimes inconvenient and at other times not allowed.
One problem with wood campfires is that they can be difficult to start. With the large number of campers in the United States it can sometimes be difficult to find fallen wood to fuel the campfire. A lack of fallen wood at campgrounds makes starting and maintaining a campfire problematic requiring campers who want a wood campfire to travel with their firewood. This can be burdensome because of the amount of wood that can be required on a nightly basis. Additionally, if it has rained recently it will be difficult for the campers to find dry firewood to fuel their fire. Without dry wood, a camper will be left with a smokey fire that does not produce much heat and is not aesthetically pleasing. Therefore, while the wood campfire can be a source of great pleasure for campers it can just as easily be a source of frustration.
Another problem with a wood campfire is that there are times when wood fires are prohibited. This is particularly true during droughts when burning bans are in effect. Burning bans are enacted as an effort to reduce the number of wildfires started each year by hot embers and out of control campfires. While these bans are in effect, campers are not allowed to burn wood fires but can usually still have contained artificial fires. Therefore, there are times when a wood fire is not even an option for campers and they desire an alternative to complete their camping experience, such as portable artificial campfire.
There are various artificial campfire devices in the prior art. Many of these devices utilize artificial refractory logs which heat very well, but they do not obtain the glow of a wood campfire. Additionally, many of the prior art references require placing the logs within a container, reducing the aesthetic appeal of the artificial campfire. Finally, the prior art references utilize a circular, single level burner unit which does not produce a natural looking fire as evidenced by the prior art use of materials to alter the appearance of the fire created by the burner units.
What is needed, then, is a portable artificial campfire which creates a natural looking flame and obtains the aesthetic glow of a natural campfire.